| Chazz Palminteri | |
|---|---|
Palminteri in New York, April 2011 |
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| Born | Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri May 15, 1952 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Spouse | Gianna Ranaudo (m. 1992–present) |
| Children | Dante Lorenzo and Gabriella Rose |
Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri (born May 15, 1952) is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway.
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Palminteri is of Sicilian origin; his family is originally from Menfi in the province of Agrigento. His grandparents, Calogero Palminteri and Rosa Bonfante, married in 1908 and moved from Menfi to the United States in 1910. According to the biography on Netflix, Chazz Palminteri was born in the Bronx on May 15, 1952. He struggled to become a star, splitting his time between working as a bouncer, alongside Dolph Lundgren, and acting in off-Broadway plays. His big break didn't come until 1988 with the premiere of his one-man show, "A Bronx Tale," which eventually was made into a movie (1993). On a T.V. special Chazz said he witnessed a murder right in front of him similar to the murder in his play and movie, A Bronx Tale.
Palminteri has had acclaimed dramatic performances in films such as The Perez Family, Jade and Diabolique, as well as comedic roles in films such as Oscar, Analyze This and Down to Earth. During its run, Palminteri did many advertisements for Vanilla Coke, in which he portrayed a mob boss who would threaten celebrities if they didn't praise the taste of the product in question, and then let them walk away with the Vanilla Coke to "reward their curiosity", touching on its slogan at the time. Palminteri has voiced characters in various animated films, the most notable being 2006's Hoodwinked.
He made his directorial debut with the 2002 television film, Women vs. Men. He has also directed the 2004 film Noel which starred Alan Arkin and Susan Sarandon. Palminteri's recent efforts include A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Running Scared and Arthur and the Minimoys.
In 2004, he received the "Indie Hero Award" from the Method Fest Independent Film Festival for his artistic achievements in film.
Chazz Palminteri starred on Broadway in A Bronx Tale the semi-autobiographical one-man show he first performed off-Broadway in 1989. The production, directed by Jerry Zaks and with music by John Gromada, began previews October 4, 2008 at the Walter Kerr Theatre and opened on October 25, running for 18 weeks. Palminteri plays 18 roles in A Bronx Tale, which depicts a rough childhood on the streets of the Bronx. The play ran for two months at Playhouse 91 in 1989. Robert De Niro saw this show there and made his directorial debut with the big-screen version, co-starring with Palminteri.[1]
On January 20, 2010, Palminteri guested on Modern Family and played the same character on the November 2, 2011, episode.[2] In June 2010, Palminteri began guest-starring on the TNT crime drama Rizzoli & Isles as Frank Rizzoli, Sr.[3]
Palminteri will portray deceased mobster Paul Castellano in the upcoming John Gotti biopic Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father.
Palminteri lives in Bedford, New York. He describes himself as a "very spiritual," devout Roman Catholic.[4] He is married to actress Gianna Ranaudo, with whom he has two children: Dante Lorenzo (born Wednesday, October 11, 1995) and Gabriella Rose (born Tuesday, December 25, 2001). He is a self-avowed New York Yankees fan, and is often heard as caller "Chazz from Bedford" on WFAN-AM, a sports radio station.[5] In 2011, Palminteri opened a restaurant,"Chazz: A Bronx Original", in Baltimore's Fell's Point neighborhood.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes/Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Home Free All | Truck Highjacker | |
| 1985 | The Last Dragon | Hood #2 | |
| 1991 | Oscar | Connie | |
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | Tony | |
| There Goes the Neighborhood | Lyle Corrente | ||
| 1993 | A Bronx Tale | Sonny LoSpecchio | Also screenwriter Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor Also Bullets Over Broadway and The Usual Suspects |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | Cheech | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor Also A Bronx Tale and The Usual Suspects Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | Dave Kujan, US Customs | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor Also A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway |
| The Perez Family | Lt. John Pirelli | ||
| The Last Word | Ricky | ||
| Jade | Matt Gavin | ||
| 1996 | Diabolique | Guy Baran | |
| Faithful | Tony | Also writer | |
| Dante and the Debutante | Also writer and producer | ||
| Mulholland Falls | Elleroy Coolidge | ||
| 1998 | Scar City | Lieutenant Laine Devon | |
| Hurlyburly | Phil | ||
| A Night at the Roxbury | Benny Zadir | Uncredited | |
| 1999 | Analyze This | Primo Sidone | |
| Stuart Little | Smokey, the Chief Alley-Cat | (voice) | |
| 2001 | Down to Earth | King | |
| Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (video) | Buster | (voice) | |
| One Eyed King | Eddie Dugan | ||
| 2002 | Poolhall Junkies | Joe | |
| 2003 | One Last Ride | Tweat | |
| Just Like Mona | unknown | ||
| 2004 | Noel | Arizona | Also directed |
| 2005 | Hoodwinked! | Woolworth | (voice) |
| Animal (video) | Kassada | ||
| In the Mix | Frank | ||
| 2006 | Running Scared | Detective Rydell | |
| Push | Vince | ||
| A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints | Monty | Sundance Film Festival - Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Performance | |
| Arthur and the Minimoys | The Travel Agent | (voice: English version) | |
| Little Man | Walken | ||
| 2007 | Body Armour | Maxwell | |
| The Dukes | George | Also co-produced | |
| 2008 | Yonkers Joe | Yonkers Joe | Also executive producer |
| Jolene | Sal | ||
| 2009 | Once More with Feeling | Frank Gregorio | |
| Hollywood & Wine | Geno Scarpaci | ||
| 2010 | Henry and Me | Babe Ruth | (voice) |
| 2011 | The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure | Marvin Milkshake | post-production |
| Mighty Fine | Joe Fine | post-production | |
| Safe | Eddie | Also producer pre-production |
|
| 2012 | The Stone Pony | Angelo Casella | pre-production |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | Sonny Cappelito | Episode: "Bald Ambition" |
| 1987 | Glory Years | Drummond | TV movie |
| Matlock | MP Sgt. Marcy | Episodes: "The Court-Martial: Part 1", "The Court-Martial: Part 2" |
|
| 1989 | Dallas | Frank | Episode: "He-e-ere's Papa!" |
| Peter Gunn | Soldier | TV movie | |
| Valerie | Leslie | Episode: "Viva Las Vegas" | |
| Wiseguy | Peter Alatorre / Sal Rosselli | Episodes: "Sins of the Father", "Heir to the Throne", "How Will They Remember Me?" |
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| 1990 | Sydney | Tony | Episode: "Love Ya, Babe" |
| 1999 | Excellent Cadavers | Giovanni Falcone | TV movie |
| Dilbert | Leonardo Da Vinci | (voice) Episode: "Art" |
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| Oz | Directed Episode: "Unnatural Disasters" |
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| 2001 | Boss of Bosses | Paul Castellano | TV movie |
| 2002 | Women vs. Men | Directed TV movie |
|
| 2004 | Dr. Vegas | Duke Walcott | Episode: "Lust for Life" |
| 2005 | Kojak | Captain Frank McNeil | |
| 2010 | Rizzoli & Isles | Frank Rizzoli Sr. | |
| Modern Family | Shorty | Episodes: "Fifteen Percent" and "Treehouse" | |